Which religion should i choose?

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mayanneee

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Is religion a choice or are we born into it??

if we are born into it…my family are mixed, my dad cathorlic, my mum church of england and my grandad had a naming ritual by the spiritualist church…i’m trying 2 look into all these spiritual groups as my parents chose 2 let me decide, which path i wud take…i lived in the phillipines 4 a year with my cathlic boyfriend…and while i was there…the christian tv channel…said that unless i had been christened i would not go 2 heaven!!! and it upset me that this christian tv station…said if u prayed enough that it could cure ailments… then it asked 4 donations…which bothered me as it is such a poor country…but does the catherlic faith really that heaven is 4 only those that choose 2 follow that path???
 
Hi, The Catholic church helps people to know Christ. The Church believes that Jesus suffered, died, and rose again to show us how much God wants us in heaven with Him. The sacraments, including Baptism are gifts of grace that Jesus instituted to help us on this journey.

The Church also believes that Christ heals people. There is much to learn abour Catholicism. For me the surprizing thing is that I can find the answers here. TV shows, sometimes even christian ones want to make sensational claims at times. Check carefully, and be fully persuaded on your own. Read some of the items in the library here. Praying for help helps too.
 
You should find the Church that was founded by Jesus Christ, is protected from teaching error by the Holy Spirit, and has consistently taught and handed on the teachings of Christ through preserving Sacred Tradition and Sacred Scripture, and still teaches that truth infallibly. In short, the Catholic Church.
 
First, let me say how encouraging it is that you are trying so earnestly to discern God’s will for you.

Faith is a choice, which we make with God’s grace. Sometimes that grace comes in the form of upbringing, where we are exposed to His mercy and love. Other times it comes to us through our experiences, friendships, or quiet contemplation and prayer. To make the right choice, it is important to look for a faith that can be traced back to Christ, and has remained consistent since then. You will only find that in the Catholic Church.

It was actually Christ Himself who said that unless one is baptised (or christened), they cannot enter Heaven. The Catholic Church teaches that the normal way for this to happen is Baptism by water, which is what you normally see at a Church ceremony. The Church teaches that baptism can also be obtained through martyrdom for the Faith (called Baptism by blood), or through a desire to receive baptism by water, even if one is not able to receive it before death (called Baptism by desire).

Remember that because the Phillipines is such a poor country, donations for charitable work is even more needed there. It is not wrong to ask those who are well-off to contribute to helping the poor.
 
Being Catholic I would automatically say yes join the Catholic church, but in reality I think you need to concider the differences in beliefs between these churches and let God show you the way. Pray for him to show you and learn about the beliefs, and i have much faith that he will lead you to the right place.

I myself do not listen to christian channels very much for two reasons. One is that they can be very biased towards the Catholic church in a bad way. Also sometimes they are very i dont know strict Catholics…Like extreme or something (not that you shouldnt be strict, but some people can be overly).

Yes you should be Baptised. As someone has allready said.

As for donations. Most churches ask for donations so as they can keep the church up and running. Some as for more than others. These are ALLWAYS voluntary, and as far as i know allways go for a good course.
 
My suggestion would be to do a lot of research before you make any decision. Study each denomination that you are interested in, and compare their teachings to what the Bible says. Do not just take someone’s word, but come to your own conclusion.

Being an Orthodox Christian, I do urge you to make sure you join a sacramental church. The Coptic Orthodox Church is my favorite one! 😃

As for Baptism, my church believes it is very important to be Baptized, through Baptism you are given the Holy Spirit. But remember that there have been exceptions to the rule…the theif of the cross was not Baptized, and he was saved. But, I wouldn’t rely on being an exception…if you know what I mean.

I wish you luck on your search, if you have any questions, feel free to ask.

God Bless,
Elizabeth
 
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Coptic:
My suggestion would be to do a lot of research before you make any decision. Study each denomination that you are interested in, and compare their teachings to what the Bible says. Do not just take someone’s word, but come to your own conclusion.

Being an Orthodox Christian, I do urge you to make sure you join a sacramental church. The Coptic Orthodox Church is my favorite one! 😃

As for Baptism, my church believes it is very important to be Baptized, through Baptism you are given the Holy Spirit. But remember that there have been exceptions to the rule…the theif of the cross was not Baptized, and he was saved. But, I wouldn’t rely on being an exception…if you know what I mean.

I wish you luck on your search, if you have any questions, feel free to ask.

God Bless,
Elizabeth
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Elizabeth, your answer assumes that the Bible is the standard, the measure, for Christianity. It is not. That is a Protestant fallacy, believed only since the 16th century.

Original Christianity was defined by the teaching of the Catholic Church (the Orthodox Churches were then part of the One Holy Catholic and Apostolic Church).

The Church wrote the New Testament. She inherited the Old Testament from Jesus and the Apostles. She canonized and named the OT, selected the contents and named the NT, and put the OT and NT together. She called this entire collection of writings ta Biblia - the books, the Bible. She was at the time nearly 400 years old.

The Catholic Church did not come out of the Bible; the Bible came out of the Church.

Anyone looking for TRUTH has to look to original Church founded by Jesus Christ and taught by the Apostles. One finds the True Church through a study of the history of Christianity. The Bible is a Catholic book – produced by the Church as the agent of the Holy Spirit. The Church wrote the NT and selected its contents. In order to be accepted into the canon of the NT, a writing had to conform to the teaching of the Catholic Church. Therefore, any interpretation that does not agree with the teaching of the Church is a misinterpretation.

The Orthodox churches have gone astray by allowing remarriage following divorce, and contraception. They do have valid sacraments; they are sister Churches and greatly loved by the Catholic Church.

I’m sure you know there is a Coptic Catholic Church, one of the 23 Rites that comprize the One True Church.

Peace be with you.

JMJ Jay
 
Coptic,how do you know he wasn’t baptized. He knew of Christ so he could have very well been batized. Baptisim is necessary for salvation to all, except to those who through no fault of their own couldn’t be baptized. Open your heart and pray to the Holy Spirit that it may lead you to the truth and my guess is the Catholic Church.

God Bless
Kathleen
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Coptic:
My suggestion would be to do a lot of research before you make any decision. Study each denomination that you are interested in, and compare their teachings to what the Bible says. Do not just take someone’s word, but come to your own conclusion.

Being an Orthodox Christian, I do urge you to make sure you join a sacramental church. The Coptic Orthodox Church is my favorite one! 😃

As for Baptism, my church believes it is very important to be Baptized, through Baptism you are given the Holy Spirit. But remember that there have been exceptions to the rule…the theif of the cross was not Baptized, and he was saved. But, I wouldn’t rely on being an exception…if you know what I mean.

I wish you luck on your search, if you have any questions, feel free to ask.

God Bless,
Elizabeth
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Elizabeth, your answer assumes that the Bible is the standard, the measure, for Christianity. It is not. That is a Protestant fallacy, believed only since the 16th century.
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This is definately not my assumption.

I told this person to compare their teachings to the Bible because often times Protestants misinterpret or use scripture out of context to prove their point. Let me give you an example: the whole concept of salvation through faith alone. I would say it is safe to assume that Protestants who follow this teaching completely ignore James 2. That whole chapter is about how faith without works is dead. There are verses which say we are saved through God’s mercy, and not our actions, yet again, they use this out of context, as this notion deals with whether or not one has to be circumsised.
Anyone looking for TRUTH has to look to original Church founded by Jesus Christ and taught by the Apostles. One finds the True Church through a study of the history of Christianity. The Bible is a Catholic book – produced by the Church as the agent of the Holy Spirit. The Church wrote the NT and selected its contents. In order to be accepted into the canon of the NT, a writing had to conform to the teaching of the Catholic Church. Therefore, any interpretation that does not agree with the teaching of the Church is a misinterpretation.
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Again, I feel as if you are making your self blue in the face for no reason. If you know anything about my church, you would know that it is rich in tradition, and was taught and founded by St. Mark the Apostle.

You are right, I did not mention that this person studies the history of the Church, which I should have, yet I was trying to keep my post on the short side. But that does not mean I disregard church history as meaningless. I think that if we look at what Christians did in the first few centuries, we would be given an accurate model of how our church should be now. I look at my church, which has remaned unchanged since the beginning, and find this very important. I do not want to be part of a church that just changes as society changes, nor do I want to be part of a church which some random person started 400 years ago.
The Orthodox churches have gone astray by allowing remarriage following divorce, and contraception. They do have valid sacraments; they are sister Churches and greatly loved by the Catholic Church.
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I’m sure you know there is a Coptic Catholic Church, one of the 23 Rites that comprize the One True Church.
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As to this passage, I do not think the Orthodox Churches have gone astray, nor do I appreciate your saying so. I am not here to judge your church, nor do I want mine judged.

Just a few minutes ago I learned that there is a Coptic Catholic Church. Interesting.

God Bless,
Elizabeth
 
Kathleen,
I only mentioned Baptism because in this person’s origninal post, he seemed concerned that if not Baptized he would not go to Heaven. I do believe that Baptism is necessary. I do believe that Baptism is necessary. I only mentioned the theif to illustrate an example of an exception. Believe it or not, we are in agreement on this issue.

God Bless,
Elizabeth
 
First read and study the book of Acts. Write down what was required to become a Christian and what they did as a Christian community

Second, get a copy of J.N.D.Kelly’s book called “Early Christian Doctrine”. This is not a heavy duty book that is to mammoth to read. It just gives you the facts of what the early church believed and how they INTERPRETED those beliefs. I have read many, but this is the finest unbiased paperback available.

Third, after you have done all that, search for a church that follows what you have learned in your personal study of church beliefs and church history.
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                            It is a GREAT mistake to go to any church without first doing the steps I listed above. Why? Because all church denominations will give you their reasons why they think they are right and all other denominations are in error. Protestant denominations are very good at twisting things and only taking their belief system as far back as the reformation or the 19th century itself. Don't be deceived. 

                             Neither will any church denomination give you real evidence of truth by merely quoting what they believe from the scripture. For most quote scripture and totally ignore how the very early church looked at these same scriptures in their time. This is why church tradition is SO important. How did the 1st, 2nd and 3rd century church feel about certain doctrines in their time?  The further in history you examine Protestant beliefs you will soon cease to be Protestant. Take it from me, I been through the revolving door of many Protestant denominations before coming home to the true church. I'm just trying to help you not wind up confused as I once was. I also suggest you watch " The Journey Home" a  EWTN television program, when it is shown in your area.
 
Pray, Pray and Pray
ask God to help you and let Him know that you want to do His will. :gopray:
 
Can you find a local parish and go to RCIA? Learn more about the Catholic Church while you are learning about how we got the Bible.

If you believe in God and if you believe Jesus in the Son of God and our Savior, then I think you will see that the Bible will lead to the Catholic Church if you don’t have someone twisting its meaning. Look to see if Jesus said that a Church has authority. If a Church has authority over us, then which Church? There are so many. It is logical then to see that there should be one Church (flock) that follows one shepherd (Peter or the Pope guided by the Holy Spirit sent to us by Jesus).

Study the Catechism of the Catholic Church. You can find it online. One site that I know of that also has a search feature for the Bible and the Catechism is www.salvationhistory.com

Pray for God to help you.
 
Dear friend

The Holy Spirit is prompting you and working in you to bring you to the Father, the Father desires to bring you to Himself and no-one can come to the Father except through Christ Jesus.

So your question is really WHERE do you do this?

Look and find which Church has the 7 Sacraments , this is sustinance from Christ Jesus to feed His flock, to sustain them and bring them safely along the narrow path to Him and therefore to the Father. The evidence for the 7 Sacraments lies not only in the Bible, but in the early Church Father’s who practised those faithfully and this faith has been kept down the ages through every age since Christ Jesus.

Any other denomination will have at some point broken away on points of doctrine over one or all of these 7 sacraments and men have created for themselves their own ‘ideas’ about these 7 Sacraments.

It is fairly obvious which Church has kept faithfully to the teachings and the 7 Sacraments of Christ , but you need to arrive at this for your own spiritual growth by prayer and by the Holy Spirit leading yourself to this conclusion.

😉 Clue…this forum is of the One True Church that kept to those seven Sacraments…

God Bless you and much love and peace to you

Teresa
 
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